What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 28:13? “Do not be afraid,” • The medium is shaken by an unexpected, genuine supernatural encounter. Fear is the reflex of those unprepared to meet the holy or the unseen (cf. 1 Samuel 28:5; Judges 6:22–23; Luke 1:30). • Saul’s calming words echo God’s frequent charge to His people—yet they ring hollow coming from a king who has long ceased to heed the Lord (cf. Joshua 1:9). • Even in disobedience, Saul remembers the language of faith, showing how form can remain after fellowship is lost. the king replied. • Saul still speaks with royal authority, but it is merely positional; spiritually he is bankrupt (cf. 1 Samuel 15:23, 26). • His earlier ban on mediums (28:3) makes this moment all the more tragic: the ruler who once enforced God’s law now violates it. • Leadership without obedience becomes hypocrisy, a caution echoed later in 1 Chronicles 10:13–14. “What do you see?” • Saul must ask because he cannot see—illustrating how sin blinds (cf. Deuteronomy 18:10–12; 1 Corinthians 2:14). • Dependence on forbidden means for guidance contrasts sharply with the prophets who received visions directly from God (cf. 1 Samuel 3:10). • The question exposes Saul’s desperation: cut off from divine revelation (28:6), he will take news from any source. “I see a god coming up out of the earth,” • “God” (plural form used of supernatural beings) points to a figure the medium recognizes as more than human. God allows Samuel’s spirit to appear, overruling the normal deceit of occult practice (cf. Isaiah 8:19; 1 Samuel 28:14). • “Coming up out of the earth” pictures Samuel’s departure from the realm of the dead, underscoring the literal reality of life after death (cf. Luke 16:31). • The scene anticipates New Testament glimpses of departed saints—Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3). the woman answered. • The medium becomes an involuntary messenger of truth, showing that God can use even rebellious channels when it serves His purpose (cf. Numbers 22:28). • Her report confirms Saul’s worst fears: authentic revelation is breaking through, but on God’s terms, not through her craft. • The contrast between her fearful honesty here and the normal fraud of sorcery highlights the uniqueness of this moment (cf. Acts 19:19). summary 1 Samuel 28:13 captures the collision of human fear, failed leadership, and divine sovereignty. Saul, abandoned by the Lord because of persistent rebellion, turns to a banned medium, yet God breaks through the darkness to deliver an unalterable word of judgment. The verse reminds us that supernatural realities are literal, that illicit spiritual shortcuts bring terror rather than comfort, and that only obedience secures true guidance and peace. |
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